Ways to Choose a Birthstone

“My birthstone is emerald,” a potential customer recently told me. “But I don’t like green,” she continued, “so I never buy gemstones.” Do we, and our customers, have choices when it comes to selecting a birthstone? What can we do when we don’t like or can’t afford the gemstone assigned to our month of birth? What should we suggest to our customers when they ask for help in selecting the “right” birthstone?

A standard list of acceptable birthstones is used today, but those gemstones were arbitrarily selected many years ago. I did some research and learned that there is more than one way to choose a birthstone.

People originally chose which gemstone to wear based on its color and the magical or healing powers associated with that color. The color green, for instance, was associated with spring. Spring and green symbolized faith and fertility. Emerald then became one of the green stones representing spring, a time of birth. Because of the meanings attached to green, people began using emeralds to help lessen the pains of childbirth. (Gemstones for the other seasons are ruby for Summer, sapphire for Autumn, and diamond for Winter.)

Gemstone folklore later came from legends and mythology. An example of this was the perception that amethyst prevented drunkenness. That belief started with a Greek myth about the wine god, Bacchus. Amethyst was a beautiful and innocent young woman condemned to die by Bacchus. The goddess Diana turned Amethyst into a white crystal to protect her from Bacchus. Bacchus poured wine on the crystal, staining it purple.

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About 1300 B.C. some gemstones acquired religious significance. In Exodus 28:17-21, specific gemstones were associated with each of the twelve tribes of Israel. People of Jewish heritage may choose their birthstones based on their tribal names. Historians have complied several lists of which stone goes with each name. The lists vary, according to how each researcher interprets the ancient names. Paul E. Desautels, author of The Gem Kingdom, offers the following list, which uses modern gemstone names:

Tribe

Gemstone

Reuben

Carnelian

Simeon

Peridot

Levi

Emerald

Judah

Garnet

Issachar

Lapis lazuli

Zebulun

Rock crystal

Joseph

Zircon*

Benjamin

Agate

Dan

Amethyst

Naphtali

Citrine

Gad

Onyx

Assher

Jasper

Long before the modern twelve-month calendar was developed, astrologers transferred the early religious symbolism of gemstones to the twelve signs of the zodiac. The gemstone associated with each zodiacal sign has varied through the centuries. For example, diamond was assigned to Libra by the Babylonians, to Cancer by the Greeks, and to Aries by the Byzantines.

The modern list is as follows:

Capricorn

Ruby

Aquarius

Garnet

Pisces

Amethyst

Aries

Bloodstone (Jasper)

Taurus

Sapphire

Gemini

Agate

Cancer

Emerald

Leo

Onyx

Virgo

Carnelian

Libra

Chrysolite (Peridot)

Scorpio

Aquamarine

Sagittarius

Topaz

Christianity later influenced the symbolism of gemstones. George Kunz, in his book The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, says specific gemstones were also associated with the twelve guardian angels and the twelve apostles. He offers the following lists.

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Month

Angel

Gemstone

Apostle

Gemstone

January

Gabriel

Onyx

Simon Peter

Jasper

February

Barchiel

Jasper

Andrew

Ruby

March

Malchediel

Ruby

James/John

Emerald

April

Ashmodei

Topaz

Philip

Carnelian

May

Amriel

Ruby

Bartholomew

Peridot

June

Muriel

Emerald

Thomas

Aquamarine

July

Verchiel

Sapphire

Matthew

Topaz

August

Hamatiel

Diamond

James

Sardonyx

September

Tsuriel

Zircon*

Thaddeus

Chrysoprase

October

Bariel

Agate

Simon

Zircon*

November

Adnachiel

Amethyst

Matthias

Amethyst

December

Humiel

Aquamarine

Paul

Sapphire

Other authors have compiled their own lists. There is currently a set of guardian angels on the market that have “birthstones” mounted in them. The manufacturers of the angels used the modern list of birthstone colors (given later in this article) rather than any historic or traditional list.

Kunz also says that birthstones may be selected based on the day of birth, as follows:

Sunday

Topaz

Monday

Pearl

Tuesday

Ruby

Wednesday

Amethyst

Thursday

Sapphire

Friday

Carnelian

Saturday

Turquoise

By the 18th century, gemstones were associated with specific months. Europeans, beginning in Poland, wore each month’s stone during that month. This meant that each person had to own twelve gemstones. Later, they began wearing only the gem representing the month of their birth. That tradition continues today.

The stones associated with each month have varied for several reasons. Gemstones were first named according to their colors. For example, all red stones, including garnets and rubies, were called carbuncles. Red was the color for January, so people born in January wore their choice of carbuncle as birthstones.

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A second reason for variety was the fact that people in each country chose birthstones that differed from those selected in other countries. As the idea of wearing birthstones became more popular, people began selecting less-expensive alternative gemstones, leading to more diversity.

In 1912, the National Association of Jewelers adopted the standardized list that is widely used today.

January

Garnet

February

Amethyst

March

Aquamarine, Bloodstone

April

Diamond

May

Emerald

June

Pearl, Alexandrite, Moonstone

July

Ruby

August

Peridot, Sardonyx

September

Sapphire

October

Opal, Tourmaline

November

Topaz

December

Turquoise, Zircon*

* Zircon is not the same as cubic zirconia, which is a synthetic stone.

Imitation gemstones may be chosen based on the birthstone colors as follows:

January

Dark Red

February

Purple

March

Pale Blue

April

White (Clear)

May

Bright Green

June

Cream

July

Red

August

Pale Green

September

Deep Blue

October

Variegated

November

Yellow

December

Sky Blue

Help your customers choose the “right” birthstone, by explaining that they have more choices than the month of their birth. They can select birthstones according to their zodiacal sign, the day of the week or season of the year in which they were born, or by religious affiliation. There is more than one way to choose a birthstone!